Floor lock for portable elevators



April 12, 1932.. H. s. GERMOND, JR 1,854,156

FLOOR LQCK FOR PORTABLE ELEVATORS- Filed March' 14, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS.

April 12, 1932- H. s. GERMOND; .JR

F LOOR LOOK FOR PORTABLE ELEVATORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNVE TOR H BY [aw/flu" 14 W 72 ATTORNEYS,

April,12, 1932- H. s. GERMOND, JR

FLOOR LOCK FOR PORTABLE ELEVATORS Filed March 14, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 8 VI E N R O T T A ll ll'Il'l'.

Patented Apr. 12, 1932 UNETED STATES HENRY S. GERMOND, JR., OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY FLOOR LOCK FOR PORTABLE ELEVATORS Application filed March 14, 1929. Serial No. 346,89").

This invention relates in general to draft handles or tongues for trucks and more particularly to a draft and truck elevating handle for portable elevators which comprise a .5 main frame or truck mounted on wheels and an elevator frame mounted on said truck and carrying a lifting platform and hoisting mechanism therefor.

Machines of this character are usually con- .to structed with certain of the wheels so mounted as to be adapted to be adjusted relatively to the truck to raise and lower the same in such a manner as to permit a portion of the truck, for instance rigid legs, to be brought 1 into frictional engagement with the ground or floor when the machine is to be used for elevating a load, to prevent the truck from accidentally rolling from the desired loca tion, the draft handle being utilized for adjusting or manipulating said wheels Floor locks of this general character are shown in Patents No. 1,194,780, and No. 1,631,47 7 dated August 15, 1916 and June 7, 1927 respectively.

lVith the type of floor lock shown in Patcut No. 1,194,7 80, the handle is held at a fixed distance from and at a fixed angle with respect to the floor when the legs of the elevator are raised from the floor by manipulation of the front wheels This isobject-ionable for the reason that it is diflicult to push the elevator or truck backwardly without moving the handle in such a manner as unintentionally to lower the elevator to the floor, and furthermore causes inconvenience and discomfort to the operator because the handle is either too low or too high, accordingly as the operator is tall or short. lVith both types of floor lock shown in Patent No. 1,194,780 and Patent No.il,631,4i77 the elevator or truck is moved forward in raising the legs from the floor and pushed backward in lowering the legs into frictional engagement with the floor. This is a disadvantage under certain conditions where it is desirable to have the elevator in an exact location with respect to a load or a load receiving support. One object of my invention is to provide a floor lock of the general character described embodying novel and improved features of construction whereby both objections to and disadvantages of the known types of floor locks are overcome or obviated, and whereby the handle may be freely raised and lowered after the floor lock has been manipulated to raise the elevator without affecting the floor lock mechanism, and the elevator may be raised and lowered by the floor lock mechanism without horizontal movement of the elevator. 0

Another object of the invention is to provide such a floor lock including a novel and improved construction and-combination of wheels, a jack for vertically raising and lowering the elevator, and a handle for both operating the jack and pulling and pushing the elevator about.

Other objects are to provide a fioor lock of the character described including caster wheels mounted in a bracket swivel-connected to the truck or elevator and having a bellcrank ack pivotally mounted in the bracket coaxially with the wheels, and a handleconnected to said bracket for separable engagement with said bell-crank jack, so that the jack may be actuated by the handle to raise and lower the elevator and the handle may be disconnected from the jack for pushing or pulling the elevator, to provide such a floor lock whereby the truck may be raised and lowered with a step-by-stop motion for ease of operation, and to obtain other advantages and results as will be brought out by the following description.

A floor lock embodying the invention is adapted to be utilized with anyitype of truck where such a device is desirable, but the invention 18 particularly designed for use in connection with portable elevators, such for instance as shown in Patent No. 854,961 of May 28, 1907 to T. J. McCarthy. For the purpose of illustrating the principles of the invention I have shown in the accompanying drawings a floor lock device constructedin accordance with the invention in connection with a portable elevator.

Referring to said drawings in which the same reference characters designate corresponding and like-parts,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a portable elevator of known construction having a floor lock embodying my invention and applied thereto.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional front elevation of the floor lock, viewing the same from the line 2-2 of Figure 8.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2, showing the floor lock mechanism in the position to raise the legs of the elevator from the floor and mount the elevator on the caster wheels.

Figure 4 is a similar view showing the floor lock mechanism in the position to cause frictional engagement of the legs of the elevator with the floor, and

Figures 5 and 6 are views similar to Figure 3 showing a modification of the invention.

In the specific embodiment of the invention shown on the drawings, the reference character A designates the frame of the truck of a portable elevator which is mounted at the rear end on wheels (not shown). The frame may be of any suitable construction and has mounted thereon an elevating frame B on which is mounted a lifting ilatform C which is adapted to be raised and lowered on the elevating frame B by means of suitable hoisting mechanism D. The forward end of the frame A of the truck is provided with rigid legs 1 adapted to frictionally and fixedly engage a floor or the ground to hold the truck against rolling when the machine is being used for elevating a load.

At the forward end of the frame A of the truck there is provided a transverse horizontal angle bar 2 upon which is secured by means of bolts 3 a bearing member 30 in which a caster bracket 4 is mounted for rotation about a vertical axis. This mounting may be of any suitable construction, but as shown preferably comprises a king bolt 5 having one end fast secured in the top of the bracket 4 and its other end passing rotatably through an opening 6 in the top of the hearin member 30. A ball race 7 is formed coaxially with the king bolt 5 on the upper side of the bracket 4 and cooperates with a similar ball race 8 on the inside of the bearing member 30 to receive bearing balls 9. Clamping nuts 10 are fitted upon the upper end of the king bolt 5 to hold the bracket 4 and bearing member 30 in proper relation.

The caster bracket 4 is also formed with a pair of spaced depending wings 11 which have alined slots 12 the longitudinal median lines of which are arranged. in a common axial plane of the king bolt 5. In these slots 12 is mounted an axle 13 the ends of which project outwardly beyond the respective wings and have journalled thereon wheels 14. With this construction, the axle 13 is bodily movable longitudinally of the slots 12.

Rotatable upon the axle 13 between the wings 11 of the bracket 4, is a jack in the form of a bell crank 15 upon one end of which is journalled a roller 16. The other end of the rea ises bell crank is in the form of a head 17 adapted to separably cooperate with a transverse groove 18 in the base of the bifurcated end 19 of a handle 20. The extremities of the arms of the bifurcated end 19 of the hand e are formed with aligned slots 21 through which passes the axle 13 so that said handle is longitudinally slidable up on the axle whereby the handle can be connected and disconnected from the head 17 of the bell crank jack. The length of "the slots 12 in the wings 11 of the caster bracket 4 is such that when the legs 1 of the truck rest upon the floor, the upper ends of said slots coincide with the axle 13 as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, the slots permitting the truck to be raised so as to clear the legs from the floor as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. The length of the arm of the bell crank jack 15 carrying the roller 16 is greater than the distance between the axle 13 and the underside of the bracket 4 when the legs 1 rest upon the floor, and accordingly when the bell crank is oscillated to interpose said arm bet-ween the axle 13 and the underside of the bracket 4, the truck is pushed upwardly as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. For holding the bell crank and truck in this relation the underside of the bracket 4 is formed with an arcuate recess 22 to receive the roller 16. A stop lug 23 is formed on the underside of the brac :et adjacent the recess 22 to limit movement of the bell crank in both directions, and also said step preferably is arranged so to limit upper movement of the handle 20.

In operation of the apparatus, the caster br cket 4 may rotate or swivel about the vorti cal axis of the king bolt 5 for steering the truck, and the handle is utilized for pulling and pushing the truck and rotating the bracket.

Assuming that the truck is in its lowermost position with the legs 1 in frictional engagement with the floor as shown in Figure 4, and it is desired to raise the truck so as to mount it on the caster for movement, the handle is manipulated to cause engagement of the groove 18 with the head 17 of the bell crank jack as shown in Figure 4. The handle is then pushed downwardly so as to swing the roller 16 upwardly into the recess 22. This action pushes the truck upwardly with respect to the axle 13. During the movement of the truck from place to place the handle is preferably disconnected from the head 17 of the bell crank ack by pulling the handle forwardly as shown by dot and dash lines in Figures 3 and 4. The handle may thus be freely swung up and down to accommodate the operator. When it is desired to again lower the truck, the handle is engaged with the bell crank jack as shown by solid lines in Figure 3 of the drawings, after which the handle is swung upwardly into the position shown by solid lines on Figure 4 of the drawings. The

handlemay then be disengaged from the bell crank jack and dropped to the position shown by the dot and dash lines in Figure 3 or raised or lowered at will.

It will be observed that in raising the truck, the movement of the frame is entirely vertical in contrast to the horizontal movement of the truck incident to the operation of the floor lock shown in Patent No. 1,194,? 80. Also the handle is free for swinging movement in vertical planes to compensate for short and tall operators. Also the truck may be easily pushed backwardby the handle without fear of accidentally operating the floor lock to drop the truck upon its legs, which is a particularly desirable feature when attempting to operate the truck in small spaces.

In Figures 5 and 6 is shown a modification of the invention whereby the truck may be elevated with a step by step motion. This form of the invention is in general the same as that shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, the main difference being in the construction of the bell crank jack upon one end of which are journalled two rollers 26 and 27 at different distances from the axle 13. The other end of the bell crank jack is in the form of a segment 28 having a pair of notches or recesses 29 and 30 adapted to separably cooperate with a transverse rib or protuberance 31 in the base of the bifurcated end of the handle 20. In this construction the slots 32 corresponding to the slots 12 of the construction shown in Figures 1 to l inclusive, are longer than the slots 12 to accommodate a greater up and down movement of the truck.

In operation, assuming that the truck is in its lowermost position with the legs 1 in frictional contact with the floor and it is desired to raise the truck so as to mount it on the caster for movement, the handle is manipulated to cause engagement of the protuberance 31 with the notch 30 in the head 28 of the bell crank jack. The handle is then pushed downwardly so as to swing the'roller 26 upwardly into the recess 22 as shown in Figure 5. This action pushes the truck upwardly with respect to the axle 13. Then to raise the truck still higher the handle 20 is pulled forward to disengage the rib or protuberance 31 from the notch 30 after which the handle is again manipulated to engage said rib 31 with truck the rib 31 is engaged with the notch 29, as shown in Figure 6 of the drawings, after which the handle is swung upwardly so as to disengage the roller 27 from the seat 22 and cause the roller 26 to enter said seat. The rib 31 may then be engaged with the notch 30, whereupon the handle may be pushed upwardly to disengage the roller 26 from the seat 22, thereby lowering the legs 1 into frictional engagement with the floor.

Movement of the bell crank in a counterclockwise direction may be limited by engagement of the head 28 with the underside of the bracket 1, and movement of the bell crank in the other direction may be limited by engagement of the roller 26 with the handle.

While I have shown and describedmy invention as embodying certain details of construction it will be understood that this is primarily for the purpose of illustrating the principles of the invention, and that many modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the claims.

I Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The combination with a wheeled truck comprising a frame having supports to frictionally contact with a floor, of a caster bracket mounted thereon to rotate on a vertical axis, a horizontal axle mounted directly in said bracket to permit relative vertical move ment of the bracket and the axle, a wheel on said axle, a jack mounted on said axle for lowering and raising said frame to move said supports into and out of contact with a fioor, and a handle for operating said jack.

2. The combination with a wheeled truck comprising a frame having supports to frictionally contact with a fioor, of a horizontal axle mounted thereon for relative vertical movement, wheels journaled on said axle, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted directly on said axle with one arm to directly engage said frame so as to raise and lower said frame upon oscillationof said bell crank in opposite directions respectively, a handle pivotally connected to said truck frame to swing in a vertical plane for drawing the truck, said handle being also longitudinally movable relative to said truck frame, the other arm of said bell crank and said handle having cooperating parts to connect and disconnect said handle and said bell crank upon longitudinal movement ofsaid handle in opposite directions respectively.

3. The combination with a wheeled truck comprising a frame having supports to frictionally contact with a floor, of a horizontal axle mounted thereon for relative Vertical movement, wheels journaled on said axle, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted directly on said axle with one arm to engage directly said frame so as to raise and lower said truck frame upon oscillation of said bell crank in opposite directions respectively, a handle having a bifurcated end connected to said axle with said bell crank lever between the arms of the bifurcation for pivotal movement in a vertical plane and longitudinal movement relative to said axle, and a cooperating projection and recess one in the base of the bifurcation of the handle and the other in the other arm of said bell crank to connect and disconnect said handle and said bell crank upon longitudinal movement of said handle in opposite directions respectively, whereby said handle can be used to oscillate said bell crank.

4:. The combination with a wheeled truck comprising a frame having supports tofrictionally contact with a floor, of a caster bracket mounted thereon to rotate about a vertical axis and having a pair of depending wings formed with alined vertical slots, an axle mounted in said slots to permit relative movement of said bracket and the axle, wheels mounted on said axle outside said wings, a bell crank pivotally mounted on said axle between said wings so that one arm thereof can engage said bracket to lower and raise said frame upon oscillation of the bell crank in opposite directions respectively, a handle having a bifurcated end mounted upon said axle and embracing said bell crank for pivotal and longitudinal movement relative to said axle and said bell crank for moving and steering said truck, and a cooperating projection and recess one in the base of the bifurcation of said handle and the other on the other arm of said bell crank whereby said handle and said bell crank can be separably connected for oscillating said bell crank by said handle.

5. The combination with a wheeled truck comprising a frame having supports to frictionally contact with a floor, of a caster bracket mounted thereon to rotate about a vertical axis and having a. pair of depending wings formed with alined vertical slots, an axle mounted in said slots to permit relative movement of said bracket and the axle, wheels mounted on said axle, a jack mounted on said axle for lowering and raising said frame to move said supports into and out of contact with a fioor, and a handle for operating said jack.

6. The combination with a wheeled truck comprising a frame having supports to frictionally contact with a floor, of a horizontal axle mounted thereon for relative vertical movement, wheels journaled on said axle, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on said axle, a pair of rollers journaled on one arm of the bell crank at different distances from said axle to engage said frame so as to raise and lower said frame upon oscillation of said bell crank in opposite directions respectively, a handle pivotally connected to said truck frame to swing in a vertical plane for drawing the truck, said handle being also longitudinally movable relative to said truck frame, the other arm of said bell crank and said handle having cooperating parts to connect and disconnect said handle andsaid bell crank upon longitudinal movement of said handle in opposite directions respectively.

7. The combination with a wheeled truck comprising a frame having supports to frictionally contact with a floor, of a horizontal axle mounted thereon for relative vertical movement, wheels journaled on said axle, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on said axle, one arm of the bell crank having a plurality of portions at different distances from said axle to engage said frame so as to raise and lower said frame upon oscillation of said bell crank in opposite directions respectively, said frame having a seat to receive said portions on the bell crank, a handle pivotally connected to said truck frame to swing in a vertical plane for drawing the truck, and means for separably connecting said handle to the other arm of said bell crank for operating said bell crank.

8. The combination with a wheeled truck comprising a frame having supports to frictionally contact with a floor, of a horizontal axle mounted thereon for relative vertical movement, wheels journaled on said axle, a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on said axle, one arm of the bell crank having a plurality of portions at different distances from said axle to engage said frame so as to raise and lower said frame upon oscillation of said bell crank in opposite directions respectively, a handle pivotally connected to said truck frame to swing in a vertical plane for drawing the truck, said handle being also longitudinally movable relative to said truck frame, the other arm of said bell crank and said handle having separably cooperating parts to connect and disconnect said handle and said bell crank at a plurality of different points upon said bell crank to rotate said bell crank with a step by step motion to engage first one and then the other of said portions on the bell crank with said frame.

9. The combination with a wheeled truck comprising a frame having supports to frictionally contact with a floor, of a caster bracket mounted thereon to rotate about a vertical axis and having a pair of depending wings formed with alined vertical slots, an axle mounted in said slots to permit relative movement of said bracket and the axle, wheels mounted on said axle, a bell crank pivotally mounted on said axle so that one arm thereof can engage said bracket to lower and raise said frame upon oscillation of the bell crank in opposite directions respectively, a handle having a bifurcated end mounted upon said axle and embracing said bell crank for pivotal and longitudinal movement relative to said aXle and said bell crank for moving and steering said truck, and a cooperating projection and recess one in the base of the bifurcation of said handle and the other on the other arm of said bell crank whereby said handle and said bell crank can be separably connected for oscillating said bell crank by said handle.

10. In a wheeled truck, the combination of a frame having a vertical slot and supports to frictionally contact with a floor, a hori zontal axle mounted in said slot for relative vertical movement, a wheel journaled on said axle, a jack directly mounted on said axle for lowering and raising said frame to move said supports into and out of contact with a floor, a handle pivotally connected to said truck for swinging in vertical planes for drawing the truck, said handle being also longitudinally movable relative to said truck, and said jack and said handle having cooperating parts to connect and disconnect the handle and the jack upon such relative movement of said handle in opposite directions, respectively. v HENRY S. GERMOND, JR. 

